Pokemon X: A Retelling
by Calico Stars
Summary: Serena has only just moved to the Kalos region, and the bumbling new trainer is already being asked to go on a journey! Legends and challenges await, and Serena must must master the art of Mega Evolution before a fiery force threatens to destroy the land of her beautiful new home. Will Serena and her partner Fennekin rise to the task?
1. Vs Chespin

_Christine is going in for the home stretch! Silverstone is kicking up dust as he speeds ahead of the competition! A few more yards and... Silverstone is the winner everybody! Christine and Silverstone have won the championship!_

I faintly smiled watching the rerun of my mother winning the Rhyhorn racing championship. The announcer's voice blared as the crowd in the video stood up and cheered. The rerun cut to a shot of Silverstone wearing a crown of petals, looking exhausted but pleased. My mother, Christine, held a gold trophy and waved to the crowd.

Before I was born back in Kanto, my mom loved Pokemon racing. She had ridden Gogoat, Ponyta, and she even competed in a sky race on the back of a Pidgeot. But it was without a doubt that her favorite kind of race was with Rhyhorn. Rhyhorn, being sluggish Pokemon, would use Rock Polish before racing- who won was often determined by which Rhyhorn had the tenacity to keep the effect for a long time. Silverstone was a champion as well as a family pet, he and my mom grew up together- and he was quite the dashing bull now.

I softly stepped out of bed, walking downstairs.

"Serena! Serena, baby-doll, breakfast is ready!"

I rushed down the stairs after that, already smelling the toast. "Mom! I told you to stop calling me that already! I'm a teenager now, can't you at least treat me like one?" I puffed out my cheeks a little in annoyance, but she just chuckled.

"Okay, Skiddo kiddo, here's your food." she passed me the plate of toast as well as a glass of milk. My mom never ran out of weird nicknames for people. She used to call dad "Pichu Cheeks". It's all pretty beyond me.

Fletchling was perched on top of the curtain, singing a clear tune. He was our new pet here in Kalos, and he got along fairly well with Silverstone. He flitted down onto the dining room table, pecking at my bread. "Shoo! Bad Fletchling, that food isn't yours!" I flicked him away with the back of my hand, but accidently smacked him off the table. Mom looked at me, upset.

"Be gentle, Serena. He doesn't weigh all that much, you could break one of his bones if you swept him off any harder." she scolded. I sighed. I had never been very good with Pokemon.

Today was our first real day in Kalos. After moving, we had unpacked all of our belongings and things were still coming along. But after a few days of getting it together, we could finally really feel the fresh, springtime breeze of Vaniville town. I still hadn't met our neighbors. It had been a long ferry ride here, and it was good to be on dry land once we got here. Kalos was such a big region, and the style seemed so different than what I was used to! I would see women on the streets wearing fancy tops and gowns that made my favorite red and black outfit look like something you would find in a dumpster. Many of the Pokemon were very new to me- I knew a few like Gogoat and Fletchling, but I soon learned of far more than I had ever even known. Some were even just discovered!

"The neighboring kids say that they had a welcoming gift to you." my mother said out of the blue. I looked up at her.

"A gift? Wow. That's very sweet of them, giving a present to somebody they've never even met." I remarked. No one had ever been_ that_ generous back in Pewter City. Nice, maybe, but certainly not the type of people who would just give gifts like that out of the blue. "Is one of them a Delibird?" I joked.

I stood up, walking out the door to see what the gift might be.

"Are you really going outside with nothing but your nightclothes on?" my mom raised an eyebrow. "Besides. I didn't even tell you yet that they want to meet you in Aquacorde Town, the next town over."

I lowered my head in embarrassment. I went up to my room once more and quickly changed my clothes to my usual red-skirted outfit. I put on my hat and grinned at my reflection to see how I looked. No… my cheeks were too full, my eyes were still too dull and my hair was still kind of poofy. Oh, well, that's what I got for not always blow-drying it before bed. But then I saw myself looking at a sad, tired reflection, and smiled again because that made me look a bit nicer.

Bidding my mother goodbye, I set off for Aquacorde, which was less than half a mile away. The walk was also very pretty, and I hoped that I would never take the beauty of this place for granted. People waved hello as I briskly made my way through Vaniville Town, which was comparatively small to most other towns and cities here in Kalos. It was an uppity sort of place nevertheless, with my house and others like it being huge. I certainly didn't live in such a modern home before, so this was all new to me entirely.

After a short trek through a flowery path, I saw taller buildings ahead and smelled a whiff of fresh coffee in the springtime air. I looked at my map of the region, and with a few clicks I found out that the outdoor café here was moderately famous in these parts.

As I strolled into town, I heard a loud, peppy voice. "Hey! Over here!" a young girl's voice shouted. "Yoo-hoo!" She waved me over. The little lady in question was an olive-skinned girl who couldn't be older than fourteen. Her brown hair was held up in a whopping four ponytails, and she had this little spark in her eyes. She practically pounced on top of me when I jogged over.

"You're Serena, right?!" she asked in utter excitement. I nodded, confirming that fact.

"How did you know my name?"

"We met your mom while you were out running errands yesterday. She said you were totally cute, and you definitely are~." she said. Her voice was somewhat musical in tone. "By the way, we invited you over here because we're going to give you a present! Think of this as something of a welcome party for you." she said, nodding as if confirming her words to herself.

"Um… who is 'we'?" I asked with a tilt of my head, before seeing three older boys walk into view from behind a building.

Shauna beamed. "Ooh! These are my best friends in the whole wide world!"

She pointed to the short kid with bright red hair and decked out in green. "This is Trevor, you can call him Trevs for short like I do~. He's sort of bookish and really likes studying n' stuff."

The bookish boy was holding a Pikachu in his arms. "Hi…" he said quietly. "I know I'm not really the chatty type, but it's a pleasure to meet you."

I nodded. "Same to you and your little buddy." I said with a small smile, petting the side of the yellow creature's face. I promptly got shocked with a tiny jolt of electricity, and flinched. "Hehe…" I laughed, embarrassed that I had forgotten that Pikachu store electricity in their cheeks.

Shauna then motioned to the larger boy with the ice-type print shirt. "This is Tierno, he's super nice. He's also an awesome dancer, he may not look it but he's as nimble as an Aipom and cool as a Persian under all that fluff."

Tierno blushed a little, before shaking my hand. "Yeah, I love dancing a ton. Swords Dance, Teeter Dance… Quiver Dance is a personal favorite. I want a team of Pokemon that have great moves like that." he said happily. A Corphish was at his heels, swinging its pincers about in a way that was somewhat reminiscent of a little dance.

I was a bit overwhelmed. "Pokemon… dancing? Can they really be taught things like that?" I asked.

"Sure they can!" Tierno affirmed. "There are Pokemon like Bellossom where you can sort of guess they'd be good dancers, but Mime Jr. and Volcarona also dance like pros!"

Shauna then presented a boy clothed in blue who might have needed some sort of a haircut. "And this is Calem. He's a little stubborn, but he's totally great with Pokemon battling! He'll be the best there is someday~."

We locked eyes, neither one of us quite speaking. Something was sort of familiar about him, and he may have been thinking the same thing.

"Hello, I'm happy to meet you." I said softly, putting a hand out for a shake.

"It's great to meet you too!" he said after a thoughtful moment, giving a strong handshake. "I want to become the best Pokemon Trainer in all of Kalos. I'll defeat every gym and take the title of Champion someday." he said confidently.

Shauna chided in once more. "Okay~. Now that we all know Serena, let's give her a nickname! We want to call you something that's really cool. It'll be like a codename or something. How about something mysterious like Lady S?"

"Hmm… Little S?" suggested Tierno.

"You don't have to take my idea, but I like the sound of S-kins." Trevor replied.

Calem shook his head. "I don't see why she needs a nickname. She didn't ask for one…" he said, sounding almost upset. Did he not get offered a nickname when he entered this group of friends?

I mulled over the suggestions for a few moments. "Hmm… I don't like being known by a single letter. How does Sissy sound to you guys?"

"Aww, that's so cute and fitting~." Shauna agreed. "Sissy! What a great name!"

"It's _stupid_…" I swore I heard Calem mutter under his breath.

After a few more moments of speaking and chatting and talking about our lives, Shauna pulled out a prism-shaped box.

"Is the new girl ready for her present~?" she asked excitedly. I smiled and nodded. A present! This was the nicest thing anyone had done for me in a long while.

Everyone was on the corners of their seats.

The prism opened up to reveal three Poke Balls. One was marked with a flame symbol, another with a raindrop symbol and the final with a leaf symbol.

"Choose your new friend!" Shauna instructed, and everyone cheered.

"Yeah, today is the day!"

"We can finally set out on an adventure, yes!"

"I can finally have a Pokemon of my own!"

I blinked. "O-oh. A… a Pokemon. You're giving me a Pokemon…"

Shauna looked shocked. "You… you don't want it? I can send one back… if you don't want to come with us…"

I looked around briefly. Everything had stopped, and everyone looked surprised. I couldn't take care of a potted plant, let alone a living, breathing Pokemon! What if mine got sick? What if it got hurt in battle and badly wounded? I couldn't deal with that on my shoulders. But… those stares. Everyone… they all wanted me to go with them. I… I didn't want to be left out of a journey… my mom would be so proud.

I mustered up my courage and took the flame-marked Poke Ball.

"Whoa, she chose Fennekin, huh? I guess she's the smart, indirect battling type."

"Not as smart as Trevor or Calem, though. Sissy's never even battled before."

Calem stood up, grabbing the rain-marked ball. "Then_ I_ am choosing Froakie."

Shauna jumped in the air before snagging the leaf-marked ball. "Yay~! I wanted Chespin to be mine the whole time!" She handed me a letter, marked with a signature in fancy script.

"Here, give this to your mom. It has a Trainer's license and a letter from the Professor inside. He really wants to meet you, your mom being a Pokemon breeder and all.

"All of you… thank you." I said earnestly. My thoughts were beginning to change. "I… I really just want to befriend a Pokemon. I try and try, but I just don't get along with them… I hope I can treat this one better."

Shauna gave a sympathetic smile. "Aww, it's okay, Sissy. You're gonna be a great trainer! If you want, before you go home… I can have a Pokemon battle against you and show you the ropes."

I froze up a little before agreeing. "All right." I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Let's try this out…"

"All right, Fennekin… showtime!" I shouted, tossing the Poke Ball into the air. From the resulting light leapt a tiny, fox-like Pokemon with big eyes and fluffy ears.

"Fen!" It seemed to be pre-trained, and crouched, ready for a fight.

Shauna had already sent out Chespin, the Grass-type all ready to go. "Your move first! Try telling it to use an attack."

"Um… uh, Scratch?"

"Like you mean it, Sissy! A Pokemon won't take orders from someone who sounds unsure!"

"Fennekin, use Scratch!"

The Fire-type lightly clawed at Chespin, who didn't seem to take much damage.

"Chespin, Tackle attack, now!"

Chespin curled up into a ball before barreling into Fennekin with its spines up. Fennekin was knocked onto its side, and seemed to be in a little pain.

"Grr… Fennekin, Ember!"

Fennekin opened its mouth, shooting fiery sparks out at Chespin, and the Grass-type fell down, overwhelmed by the heat.

"O-oh, Chespin!" Shauna took the brown Grass starter into her arms, and it smiled up at her. She petted its head, smiling back. "You did great, Sissy. You won, so here's a little money… you should praise your Fennekin for winning the battle, Pokemon like love and cuddles just as much as people! Even the creepy ones need a little love sometimes.

I took Fennekin into my arms. He looked back at me, comfortable. Nuzzling into me and curling up, he was warm to the touch but not unpleasantly hot.

"Fennekin and Serena… that sounds like a good team. I may be a bit of a greenie now… but I think that as long as I trust my Pokemon, I can still do well."

_Serena's current team: _

_Fennekin (Lv. 5)- Male- Docile Nature- Scratch, Tail Whip, Ember_


	2. Vs Zigzagoon and Fletchling

I was on my way back home, letter in hand. I looked back to make sure Fennekin was still following along behind me and not running off.

"Uh… stay." I told him. Fennekin sat down, thinking that I meant to stay in place.

"Oh, so you take commands? I-I meant to stay right behind me." Fennekin blinked, before leaping p and seeming to march behind me, his little jumps in sync with my footsteps. I turned around and knelt down, patting him on the top of his head.

"Good boy." I praised. I sounded more like I was talking to a pet Lillipup rather than a battling partner. Fennekin seemed content with this, closing his eyes and pawing closer to me. He jumped up onto my shoulder, his dainty little feet letting him stay there comfortably. I looked to him with a little smile, standing up.

I didn't expect a Pokemon to be this friendly out of the blue, but this Fennekin was comfortable both with me and on top of me. Fennekin had stretched out on my shoulder, relaxing.

Continuing on the Route 1 path, I was soon back in Vaniville Town. Walking past buildings, I soon came to my door, knocking and opening up.

"Hi, sweetie!" my mother greeted. She looked to Fennekin with a gasp. "It's so cute!" she squealed, petting his ears softly. Fennekin barked happily, his tail wagging. I smiled, handing the letter to my mother.

_Dear Christine,_

_Replying to your letter, I have dispatched the Pokemon to the four kids in Vaniville Town. I hope Serena enjoys her new partner! Thank you so much for contacting me, this will be perfect for my evolution studies. I'd like it of Serena went to Lumiose City to my lab, there is something else I wanted to give to her as well as her friends. I wish your daughter well in her journey across Kalos. I hope to see her soon!_

_- Professor A. Sycamore_

I sniffed the air. "Did somebody spray cologne…?" I asked. Fennekin covered his nose with his paws, disliking the strong, crisp scent.

My mother barely seemed to read the letter. "His cursive writing is _divine_…" she commented, before taking a whiff of the smell of body spray that saturated the letter. "He could do with a bit less perfume, though. You could use that stuff as air freshener…"

She turned to me. "Serena! My little girl finally gets to go on an adventure!" she hugged me.

"You knew this all along, didn't you…" I guessed from her attitude.

"Yes, dearie. I've been keeping in contact with Sycamore for a really long time, and we were talking and talking about Kalos and how we were moving there and how not many trainers tend to go on journeys there. We decided it would be a nice, friendly place for you to train Pokemon and meet new friends."

She paused, before handing me a thin device that looked akin to my Holo Caster phone.

"This is a Pokedex. The professor, knowing that you're an artsy sort, also kindly cited that he needs photographs and possibly sketches for the entries written on every Pokemon, so he'd like you to try and take a snapshot of every Pokemon you come across. It'll also read off helpful data like the Pokemon's type, average height and weight, some flavor text and some tips on how to take care of and battle with it." she told me. "One of your friends, the shortest boy- he also has a Pokedex."

I nodded, taking the Pokedex and smiling at how I'd be able to practice some drawing and photography. "All right. You're… you're sure you're all right with me leaving? I mean, you know, if you want me to go out on adventure… you might not always see me too often, you know." I told her.

"I know, dearie. Just keep your Holo Caster on most of the time, and I will mine. That way we can keep on speaking with each other all the time. I'll want to see your cute little face all the time."

I blushed, nodding. "Yeah, mom, all right. So… if it's all right… can I go meet my friends in Aquacorde?"

My mother nodded, handing me a huge backpack. "Here. I packed food, water, a change of clothes, some food for Fennekin, a sleeping bag, a Trainer ID card so you can be recognized, and some money for the road."

I struggled with the huge weight, panting already. "Y-yeah. Thank you, Mom, everything'll be fine! I'll call you tonight!"

"Okay, honey! Don't forget to stop and rest, and drink a lot of water! Send me a postcard once you get to Lumiose, and come home soon!"

I turned around, waving one last time. Did I really want to go…?

Eventually heading out the door, it wasn't long before I found my way back to Aquacorde. I smiled as I walked past the fountain at the heart of the town that gave it its namesake.

Aquacorde was a sophisticated place, and I decided to check out a few shops in my spare time. There was one shop that sold only Poke Balls and another that sold fine medicine. I purchased three Potions before heading out to ensure Fennekin would be all right if he got hurt in battle. Fennekin had gotten restless, nudging at my ankle and weaving between my legs as we walked, so I decided to head out to Route 2 after my little sampling of the town.

A cellist was playing a tune nearby, so I flipped him a coin into the pot he had laying out.

Remembering what my mom had said to me about the Pokedex, I took out the Pokedex, snapping a picture of Fennekin standing on the brick road. I entered the name 'Fennekin' into the Pokedex, and got some text about how Fennekin like to chew sticks and store high-temperature, combustible gases in glands behind their ears. I broke a small branch off a nearby tree, snapping it in half and throwing it.

"Go get it, boy! Go get the stick!" I whistled to Fennekin, who took off at high speed to retrieve the twig, picking it up in his teeth before leisurely trotting back to me.

"Okay, now give it back."

Fennekin looked up with big, innocent eyes, chewing on the twig and making absolutely no move to drop it. I once again had to tell myself I wasn't dealing with a Growlithe- he genuinely wanted the stick and thought of it as a free gift and not a game. He probably didn't understand why I wanted it back.

I noticed that after he chewed for a few minutes, the stick had burned to charcoal, as if it had been placed in a bonfire for the same amount of time."

"Wow. You really are a little inferno." I said with an impressed whistle. I pet Fennekin on the side of his face, and he recoiled in displeasure.

"Fe-en…" he barked. I pet again, this time on top of his head- he seemed far more pleased with that, giving bizarre but pleasant little yelps and playful yips. "Fennekin! Kin-kin!" he yipped, jumping into my arms, wanting to be carried for the rest of the way like a miniature royal.

Straightening my hat, we made my way onto the grassy, overgrown path that led to the woods. I squinted, seeing Shauna and Calem in the distance.

"Hey! Guys!" I waved my hands, and Fennekin jumped out of my arms and jolted ahead before I ran off to greet them.

"Oh. Hey there, Serena." Calem greeted with a wave. I smiled.

"Hi-hi~." said Shauna, happy as ever.

"Just in time." said Calem. "I was about to give Shauna a demonstration on how to capture a Pokemon. Care to watch?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I nodded, wanting to see a Pokemon actually being caught in real life.

Calem had Froakie seated on his shoulder. The amphibian Pokemon looked unattentive, its eyes closed as if asleep. A Zigzagoon swiftly ran past, and Calem saw the opportunity.

"Froakie, use Pound!" he instructed his Pokemon, and Froakie jumped off his shoulder to take a light strike at the zigzagging passerby. Knocked onto its side, the Zigzagoon let out an angry but cute growl before tackling Froakie.

Froakie shook off the attack very quickly, bounding out of the way before waiting for further instruction.

"Now, Froakie, Bubble attack!" Calem commanded, as Froakie let out a jet stream of bubbles to slow the opposing Zigzagoon and disorient it with the loud sound of popping.

"There we go." Calem was smirking. "It's weakened, and prime for capture." he said, before activating his Poke Ball and tossing it masterfully at the Zigzagoon. It vanished inside the capsule, and the capsule began to violently shake about, the button in the center still glowed with the red warning light.

"Hmmm…" After a few shakes, the shaking slowly stopped and the center of the Poke Ball faded back to white.

Calem smiled, picking up the Poke Ball. "And there we go. The whole thing is a cakewalk if you know what you're doing."

Shauna's eyes were wide in awe. "Wow! It actually went _inside_ the Poke Ball!" her mouth was agape. "I… I didn't expect it to do that…"

Calem rolled his eyes. "Uh, Shauna… what do you think your Chespin is inside? As in, right now?"

"M-my heart?" she asked innocently. Calem muttered, deciding not to carry it any further.

I was also impressed, and happy due to getting clear pictures of both Froakie and Zigzagoon. "You mean, we can make friends with more Pokemon? Like, just like that?" I asked, excited.

"Uh, yeah." Calem responded. "I think there's some kind of chemical in there that calms them down for a while. Then you can get familiar with them while they're calm to tame them and befriend them."

I nodded, finding this to be a trustworthy explanation. "Where do we go next?" I asked.

"Into Santalune Forest." Calem explained. "The guys'll catch up in a bit. Why don't you try catching a Pokemon inside there?"

It was absolutely enormous inside the forest. It reminded me greatly of the woods separating Viridian and Pewter City, but I hoped to Arceus that this place wasn't _quite_ as infested with Bug-type Pokemon.

Fennekin's eyes were the size of saucers, staying closer to me. He looked as though he was a little intimidated by how small he felt beneath the twisting canopy. I bent down, feeding him a bit of spice-flavored Pokemon food. "Here you go- don't be scared, I'll give you more after we finish up here."

Fennekin seemed to understand, lapping up the food and looking a bit pleased. I picked him back up in my arms, and Calem frowned at me.

"If you baby him all the time, he's not going to grow. You've gotta let him fend for himself."

I turned up my nose. "Have you pet or been nice to Froakie since he was given to you?"

Calem scoffed. "Excuse me? Of course I have, but not every few moments."

I thought about that. Maybe I was wrong. But… it would hurt to leave the doe-eyed little Fennekin on the ground. I felt the urge to take care of him.

Shauna followed behind me as we trekked into the woods. "Ooh! Ooh! Did you see any Pikachu? They're so cute, and I want one really badly!" she said excitedly.

"Shh." I replied. "Be quiet or we're not going to see much of anything…" I scolded. She backed off, and her hair curls seemed to droop a little. "Aww… Shauna, I didn't mean it like that. You can stick around." I said with a pang of sympathy in my voice. She perked right back up again.

I heard chirping in the trees. The birdsong was much different from the cross cries of bickering Pidgey and Spearow back home- it was the song of Fletchling. I smiled, deciding I wanted to raise a Fletchling. After I got home, they could be a partner to Fletchy back at the house. I gazed at the tall grass, trying to hear for a chirp or a peep.

"Pi-pi-pi—chi-chi-cha~" I heard the distinctive cry of a Fletchling. I had a bit of Pokemon food in the palm of my hand. I mimicked the cry back- or tried to. "Pi-po-pi—chi-chi-cho" I tried, before heightening the pitch of my voice. "Pi-pi-pi—_chi_-cha~~!" I tried again a few more times, and soon I got a little visitor, fluttering into the palm of my hand. It pecked at the food, before nestling in the palm of my hand.

"A-aww…" I couldn't help but ogle over the young bird asleep in my hands. "Guess you really are worth two more in the bush…"

Ignoring all the rules, I took out a Poke Ball from my bag and gently touched it to the baby bird. It transformed into light, which was then transferred into the capsule.

It didn't even shake. I let out a small squeal, once again smiling silly about the little Pokemon that was now mine.

Shauna blinked. "Wooow, you caught it without using one attack! You are the coolest trainer ever, Serena~!" she said, looking up to me like I was some kind of genius.

"Uh… Shauna, it was asleep. I'm no master, it just wanted to take a little siesta. Point being, I caught a Fletchling~!"

"Fen fen!" Fennekin cried out, excited.

Team:

Fennekin (Level 6)- Male- Docile- Somewhat of a clown

Fletchling (Level 3)- Female- Mild- Takes plenty of siestas.


	3. Vs Pikachu

Continuing through Santalune Forest, Fletchling was perched comfortably upon my hat. She seemed a bit curious, occasionally leaving the hat to flit around but then flying straight back to roost upon the brim.

I had always been fascinated with flying. I loved flying in airplanes as a kid, and I liked to watch bird Pokemon and sketch the way their wings moved. The little ones like Fletchling had to beat their wings continuously to stay aloft, but huge ones like Fearow or Altaria barely needed to beat their wings to soar long distances. I had always dreamt about it- flying on a Pokemon, or sprouting wings and flying by myself. I remembered a time when I was about six years old, when my father had gotten a swing set for me. I would swing every single day, imagining myself holding onto a Dragonite as it flew through the sky.

I took Fletchling back into my hand, petting down her back to soothe her. She sang a cheery little melody in response. "Pi-pi-pi-chaaa~" she cheeped. I took out my Pokedex, taking a photo of her sitting in my hand.

_Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokemon. While they may appear to be harmless, older specimens contain flame sacs near their bellies that allow them to breathe small amounts of fire. Coating their fireproof feathers with a gasoline-like saliva, they can also coat themselves in flames. They often set their wings aflame during a battle, and any opponent that strikes them may get burned. Baby Fletchling spit saliva on predators before breathing tiny sparks onto the would-be attackers._

After a short while, I ended up coming across a bunch of silken strands descending from the trees, arranged in messy webs that stretched over 8 feet in length. I wrinkled my nose in disgust as I accidentally brushed up against one of the gooey strands.

Trying to slip away, I winced as I felt the silk stuck to my skin. "O-ouch…" I pulled at it with my other hand, which only led me to become more tangled in the web.

Shauna was there behind me. "O-oh no!" she exclaimed, before sending out Chespin. "Use Vine wip to cut the silk!" she ordered. "Ches ches!" the Pokemon responded, striking the web with its thorny vines to cut them away. I struggled free, seeing a group of Caterpie, Weedle and Scatterbug up in the trees, all looking down at me.

"Eeep…" I whimpered. I scratched off the rest of the gooey silk. "Thank you, Shauna…" I shuddered. I winced at the hanging Bug-types. I wasn't a fan of Pokemon that wriggled like that. I knew that they were just trying to snag a meal, and I was happy that they were only larvae instead of something more frightening like, say, an Ariados.

Fennekin nudged me, seeing me flinch. He looked concerned.

"There, there." I pet his ears.

As we continued through the forest, the lights from up above grew smaller and were now only rays shining through the canopy. All else was dark. I spotted smaller Pokemon darting through the tall grass and shrubs, likely the Pansage, Pansear and Panpour that inhabited this place. I could hear the chirping and singing of Fletchling echoing through the trees, and my own Fletchling responding to the calls.

"Chu-chii, chu-chii…" she sang, a quiet tune. The voices of the forest responded with the same echo, as if the sound was a song of farewell.

Even the trees seemed to bend in response to Fletchling's ballad.

We walked on, until we saw a girl in the distance. "Heehee… hi~." she greeted. She had blond hair and nice-looking clothes. "Ready for a battle?" she asked, playfully tossing her Poke Ball around through the air.

"Battle?!" I asked, surprised.

"Of course!" said Shauna from nearby. "If you lock eyes with a feisty Trainer, that means you've got to battle. It's the polite sort of thing to do- the loser has a learning experience and the winner has more money for the road. Don't worry, I'll heal any Pokemon that gets hurt."

I nodded, understanding. "Well… go, Fletchling!" I said, and the bird Pokemon swooped down from my hat and onto the grass.

The blond girl grinned. "It's showtime, Pikachu!" she shouted, throwing the Poke Ball in the air. A heart-tailed Pikachu was released into the center of the field. "Use Thunder Shock, now!" she told it, and Pikachu released a bolt of lightning towards the tiny bird Pokemon. Fletchling dodged skillfully, but looked a little scared.

"Tackle, now!" I said, and Fletchling rammed into Pikachu at full speed. Pikachu was knocked back a little, but the electrical rodent was a larger creature, and stood right back on its feet.

"Pikachu, use Thunder Shock one more time!" Pikachu fired an even larger burst of electricity at Fletchling, this time knocking her to the ground. She was disoriented, flailing her wings to get back up before closing her eyes.

"Fletchling!" I took the small bird into my arms, making sure she was all right before recalling her to her Poke Ball. "Fennekin, go on out!" I said, and Fennekin entered the field in a spark of fire.

"Use Ember, now!" I said, and Fennekin shot a small burst of flames from his mouth.

Pikachu was hit! But not quite out yet.

"Quick Attack, now!" the trainer ordered, and Pikachu zigzagged, gaining speed until the Pokemon was moving as fast as a bullet. Pikachu hit Fennekin at full speed, making the fox Pokemon cringe.

"Use Howl!" I cried out, and Fennekin looked to the sky and howled as a battle cry. It dodged Pikachu's next Quick Attack, leaping behind the Mouse Pokemon with skill.

"Now! Use Scratch!"

The howl had powered Fennekin up, and he ran at Pikachu, landing a strike with his claws against Pikachu's belly.

Pikachu had fallen, and Fennekin curled up to rest after seeing the battle was over.

The young girl seemed excited after recalling her Pikachu from the finished battle. "Wowee! You sure were great back there! But rematch me sometime, you wouldn't have won if you didn't have two Pokemon with you." she said, handing me a little pocket money.

"Thank you!" I said, before inquiring. "How come you've got only one Pokemon?"

"'Cos the only Pokemon I like is Pikachu, silly!" she chuckled, before I raised an eyebrow and walked off.

"Serena! SerenaSerenaSerenaSerena!"

"Yes, Shauna?" I asked. Both of my Pokemon had recuperated thanks to Shauna's medicine.

"Can we catch a Pikachu…?" she asked.

"Um… aren't they really rare and kind of skittish? I'm not sure we're going to find one right out in the open…" I said.

"But they're so_ cute_!" she exclaimed. "I want one!"

"If I come across any of them on my travels, I'll give one to you. Sound all right?"

She nodded in response, happy. "I want an electric Pokemon with cute cheeks!" she said happily.

"Look! The forest exit is over there, I see the light!" I pointed out, before running.

"To Santalune City!"


End file.
